What's On In April

With spring well underway, April arrives in the Bradford district bringing with it the eggcitement of Easter and plenty of brilliant events to keep you entertained well into May.

You can follow an Easter egg hunt in augmented reality through Ilkley. Just download the LoyalFree app and hunt virtual eggs around the town from 31^st March-16^th April. Find them all to enter a prize draw!

Join the Bradford Faith Trail which returns for a series of monthly tours from Saturday, 1^st April. Along the way, head to five of Bradford’s diverse places of worship, where experienced guides will show you around and answer your questions.

The Easter fun begins at NT East Riddlesden Hall in Keighley from 1^st-16^th April when their Easter Trail opens. Kids will be able to participate in 10 activities through the gardens and will receive a tasty chocolate reward at the end.

Pick up some delicious fresh ingredients at the Real Food Market in Ilkley on Sunday, 2nd April.  Find traders selling all kinds of local produce, including fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses and cakes.

Get the party started on Wednesday 5th April at The Underground, Bradford.  The Half-Term Family Rave is the perfect place for kids to dance their little hearts out to lots of brilliant music, bubbles, and even a snow machine to make sure they have a great time.

See the new art exhibition ’Changing Seasons’ from George T Lowes at the South Square Centre in Thornton from 7^th April-28^th May.  The works focus on impressionist landscapes that encourage the viewer to contemplate the view through the lens of their own experiences.

Visit the Impressions Gallery in Bradford from 8th April-1st July to see Maryam Wahid: Zaibunnisa, a new collection of photographs dedicated to the artist's first visit to Pakistan with her mother.  The images deal with themes of loss, displacement and migration, balanced with the positive experiences of living in Britain.

Celebrate World Heritage Day at Roberts Park, Saltaire on Saturday, 22nd April. The park in the UNESCO World Heritage Site will be full of activities including stalls, rides, live entertainment and a special evening lantern parade by Cecil Arts. 

Get stuck into loads of Spring-themed crating activities at the Bolling Hall Cherry Blossom Festival in Bradford on Sunday, 23^rd April. Kids will love getting involved with everything from face-painting to planting their own flowers to take home and grow.

Bradford's brand new food festival Taste:BD takes place from 29th-30th April. The event will be hosted in City Park, transforming the city centre into a lively celebration of local culture, with lots of delicious food and drink to be discovered. Keep an eye on the VisitBradford website for more details as they are announced.

Go ‘Off The Curriculum’ at the Common Place, Bradford on Friday, 28^th April. The All-Star Spring features a host of Bradfordian musical talent from the Bradford Youth Music Crew as the finale to this immersive festival.

Discover the influence of animals on the Brontë family in Parsonage Unwrapped at the Brontë Parsonage Museum on Friday, 28^th April. This special event delves into their relationship with pets and the other animals around them, with fascinating insights gained through personal letters and illustrations.

Spend the evening with football legend Chris Waddle at Odsal Stadium in Bradford on Friday, 28^th April. You’ll enjoy a fabulous 2-course dinner as the star regales you with stories from his incredible career.

Wacky racing takes over the streets of Bradford on Sunday, 30^th April when the Super Soapbox Challenge returns. Watch the crazy vehicles race down the ramp, enjoy live music and meet the race mascot Sir Sidney Cartalot on this fantastic day out with lots of fun for all the family.

April is shaping up to be a fantastic month in Bradford District theatres. Dinosaurs will be taking over St George’s Hall whilst classic musical ‘The King and I’ plays at the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford. Hilarious comedy ‘An Absolute Turkey’ will tickle audiences at the Bingley Little Theatre, whilst everything goes wrong for those ‘Doing Shakespeare’ at the Bradford Playhouse. ‘Nell Gwynn’ takes a look at the rise of an actress in the court of King Charles II at the Ilkley Playhouse, youngsters will be spellbound by the antics of ‘The Ugly Duckling’ at Kala Sangam and magic comes to the Bingley Little Theatre in the Hey Presto! Family Magic Show. Meanwhile, Johannes Radebe unleashes a fabulous night of song and dance at St George’s Hall, Bradford in his must-see new show.

Music lovers will be thrilled by the wide range of visiting artists. ‘The Magical Music of Harry Potter’ brings the music from the films to St George’s Hall and Phil Kelsall plays stage, screen and band favourites on the classic Wurlitzer organ at Victoria Hall in Saltaire. The Bradford Festival Choral Society provides this month’s ‘Music at the Museum’ at Cliffe Castle Museum in Keighley and the ‘Love Train Party’ is rolling into Tapestry Arts in Tong.  Bronwynne Brent brings music from the Deep South to the Live Room in Saltaire and Bradford Cathedral is hosting a special candlelit concert of classical film music.

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Enjoy your time in Bradford district, and don’t forget to tag @visitbradford #VisitBradford in your photos.

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